Nuclear weapons and the escalation of the Cold War, 1945-1962

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Transcript of Nuclear weapons and the escalation of the Cold War, 1945-1962

“I think the people with the strongest nerves will be the winners.” - N. Khrushchev, 1958

I am present and strong;General de Gaulle’s request for a triumvirate.

1st French atomic bomb tested in the SaharaAmerican and British cooperation;The post-war research:

1958 and the Atomic Energy Act: “the great prize”.

Nuclear weapons and the escalation of theCold War, 1945-19621943WWII: begin of nuclear age1943Manhattan Project1945The atomic bomb and the origins of the Cold War1962Nuclear weapons and the Korean WarUS - USSR nuclear stockpileThe nuclear-arms raceThe fear of a new 39-41;I am present and strong.

supportChinese interventionUS and UN forcesNorth Korea forcesNo tabu on the use of an atomic bomb to bring the Korean War to an end" The US should contemplate the use of an atomic bomb"- D.D. Eisenhower" The Soviet bloc is superior to the West"- J.F. DullesArmisticeJuly 27, 1953threat of 'big war'Stalin's deathStatus of the bombas another weaponas a class on its own'40s-'50sconventionalnuclearThe hydrogen bomb and nuclear deterrence1950s195319551960Hydrogen bomb antinuclear movements in US, Europe and AsiaGeneva Summit“Nearly everyone knew that war was unacceptable and that coexistence was elementary” - N. Khrushchev

New Look security policynuclear deterrenceImage of a future warmix of targetseach side aimed to winreciprocal fear of a surprise attackvs"over the long pull"- D.D. Eisenhower"peaceful coexistence"- N. KhrushchevBritain and FranceThe British coursefirst British atomic bomb testedfirst British H-bomb tested19571952The British reasonsThe early peaceful use and the steps towards the bomb:

The French course“France should have the bomb”the secret committee19541952The French reasons196019561958Gaillard and de Gaulle order to make and test the bombthe plutonium production beginsAmerican nuclear policySoviet nuclear policy“Global conflict under modern conditions could mean the destruction of civilization. The Soviet rulers, themselves, are well aware of this fact.” - D.D. Eisenhower“Only a madman can go to the length of unleashing another world war over the preservation of the privileges of the occupationists in West Berlin.” - N. Khrushchev1954: French Indochina crisis.1955–59: Jinmen (Quemoy) and Mazu (Matsu) islands crisis1956: The Suez crisis.1958–61 : West Berlin crisesTHE WORLD ON THE BRICK: THIRTEEN DAYS IN OCTOBER 1962 WHEN THE COLD WAR GOT HOT

May 1962October 1962October 1962October 19621959Preparatory eventsJanuary, 1, 1959 The Cuban RevolutionFidel Castro interrupts diplomatic and economic relations with the US and aligns itself with Moscow;February 3rd 1962 US imposes embargo on the island

Us displays of missiles in Turkey targeting the URSSDecided in October 28th 1959 and placed June, 1st 1961

The Berlin crisis, a Soviet setbackJune 4, 1961 — November 9, 1961 US and Soviet forces engaged in a stand-off as the Soviets began construction of the Berlin Wall

Kennedy- Khruschev meeting in Vienna June 3rd 1961, the Soviet leader develops a low opinion of the American President

May 1962May 29, 1962After deliberations within the Soviet government, Khrushchev dispatched a delegation to discuss the placement of nuclear missiles in the country. Castro accepted the missile deployment the day after meeting the delegation.

The beginning October 14, 1962A U2 aircraft flying over western Cuba took pictures of the Soviet missile sites for the first time.

US reactionOctober 16 - October 22 The President and his administration discuss the different possible actions to respond the Soviet challenge taking into consideration different kinds of military operations. The peakOctober 23Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson lays the matter before the U.N. Security Council. The ships of the naval quarantine fleet move into place around Cuba. Soviet submarines threaten the quarantine by moving into the Caribbean area.

October 24-25 Intense correspondece between Kennedy and Khrushcev.The Sovietleader reacts strongly to the declaration of the quarantine defining it “a threat and and ultimatum to intimidate us” President Kennedy answered again urging him to change the course of events. Discussions in the halls of the UN between US and URSS ambassadors Adlai Stevenson and Valerin Zorin.September 15, 1962Poltava, reportedly first ship to carry Soviet missiles docks in Cuba. 50,000 Soviet troops arrived on the island armed with ballistic medium and intermediate range missiles (MRBM), fighter aircrafts, light bombers, naval vessels, and Submarines, as well as strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.October 15, 1962Analysis from the National Photographic Interpretation Center confirmed the existence of Soviet missile sites in Cuba. The photographic analysis also reveals that the Soviets were placing intermediate-range IL-28 bombers in Cuba, capable of carrying nuclear bombs to the U.S.

October 22Kennedy wrote to Khrushchev prior addressing the American public on live tv: "I have not assumed that you or any other sane man would In this nuclear age, deliberately plunge the world into war which it is crystal clear no country could win and which could only result in catastrophic consequences to the whole world, including the aggressor” At 7.00 pm the President speaks on TV revealing the evidence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and announces the establishment of a naval quarantine around the island until the Soviet Union agrees to dismantle the missile sites.The Resolution October 26 A long, rambling letter from Khrushchev to Kennedy makes clear the Soviet leader has decided to step back offering the removal of the missiles in exchange for lifting the quarantine and a pledge that the U.S. will not invade Cuba.“ Mr. President, we and you ought not now to pull on the ends of the rope in which you have tied the knot of war, because the more the two of us pull, the tighter the knot will be tied. And a moment may come when that knot will be tied to tight that even who tied it will not have the strength to untie it, and then it will be necessary to cut that knot […] and you yourself understand perfectly of what terrible forces our countries dispose”. - N. KhrushchevOctober 28Agreements are perfected: the Soviet Union will withdraw the missiles from Cuba under United Nations supervision in exchange for an American pledge not to invade Cuba. In an additional secret understanding, the United States agrees to eventually remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey. Radio Moscow announces that the Soviet Union has accepted the proposed solution and releases the text of Khrushchev letter.

How weapons shaped the history of the last 50 years of the 20° centuryOriginsThe nuclear threat and its political use Cause or effect of the Cold War? The role ofnuclear weaponsThe importance of the Cuban missiles crisisThe origins of the nuclear arms race can be traced to the political rivalry between the wartime allies, the United States and the Soviet Union. They devoted considerable resources to building up their nuclear stockpiles and aquiring the bombers, submarines, missiles and guns to deliver the nuclear weapons to target. By the 1950s, nuclear threats were permanently embodied in the forces that each side deployed against the other: each side feared that the other was seeking the capacity to launch a surprise attack and each stressed the importance of preempting such an attack if it appeared to be imminent. Nuclear threats were both a product of the Cold War and a factor contributing to the the great tension of those years. Over time, the weapons laboratories, the defense industry, and the armed forces became increasingly influential in the formulation of policy, firstly in the United States and a few years later in the Soviet Union.

Nuclear weapons also helped to keep the Cold War «cold» : by the mid-1960s , a situation had been created in which each side could inflict massive death and destruction on the other.As a consequence, a set of conventions and understandings emerged between the two sides to help them to manage their nuclear relationships. The idea that general nuclear war was in some profound way unacceptable became common knowledge among the political leaders of the nuclear powers. That constituted the basic premise of the Cold War and shaped the nuclear politics of the following years.Political leaders were willing to make nuclear threats, but they understood the difference between threath and action. Khrushcev in particular exploited the fear of nuclear war to wage a dangerous and unsuccessful war of nerves, but he was limited in what he could threaten by the common knowledge that nuclear war was unacceptable. Both sides were aware of the other’s intention to avoid nuclear war but this was nevertheless a very dangerous period, because of the risks of miscalculation or unauthorized acts which could lead to an uncontrollable spiral towards war. The Cuban missile crisis was a turning point in the Cold War. It drove home the lesson that crises are dangerous and should therefore be avoided. The first steps towards arms control had been taken in the late 1950s and early 1960s in talks on surprise attack and negotiations on a comprehensive test ban, but no significant agreement was concluded before the Cuban missiles crisis. That crisis gave a new impetus to efforts to make the nuclear relationships more stable and to reduce the risk of war.